Planting, Growing, and Caring for Phlox

 

With brightly colored flowers and a lovely fragrance Phlox is a summer wildflower, an essential item in any garden. Whether used as a ground cover or towering perennial, evergreen or deciduous, phlox comes in an overwhelming array of colors, heights, forms and blooming times. Perhaps best of all, it’s a terrific companion plant. In shades of blue, white and pink, for example, they tone down hot yellows and oranges and buddy up to other cool-coloured perennials. With such a wide range of phlox available, there’s one for most garden situations, from dry to moist soils, in full sun to full shade. Choose the variety that fits your garden space and enjoy its gorgeous star-shaped blossoms all summer long. Read on to learn how to plant, grow and care for phlox.

Varieties 

Different varieties of phlox serve different needs in the garden. Your local garden center or nursery can advise you on which species grow best in your area. All species of phlox produce flowers in a wide range of colors including white, pink, red, lavender and blue. Garden and meadow phlox are perfect for garden borders, since they grow quite wide and tall. Low-growing phlox varieties are perfect to use as ground cover in shady areas, especially as many are mildew-resistant.

Location

Although Phlox are low maintenance flowers that do well in most locations, most varieties will prefer full sun, but some are tolerant of partial or filtered shade. Find a location that works for the variety you have chosen. Keep in mind that Phlox grown in the shade often produce fewer flowers and they are also at increased risk for contracting a disease, so if you choose to plant phlox in the shade, look for a variety that is mildew-resistant.

Planting

Phlox plants prefer rich, porous soil with a layer of organic mulch. When watering, avoid wetting the foliage — a practice that spreads disease.If the area is wet, but not soaking, it should be fine for growing phlox.

You can plant phlox outdoors after all signs of frost have passed. Dig holes 6 to 24 inches apart depending on the species you are growing. You need to space shorter phlox varieties 6 to 12 inches apart, and taller species 12 to 24 inches apart. The holes should be twice as wide as the plants’ root balls] Set the phlox plants into the holes and pat soil around their bases. Water the phlox after planting.

Care

Keep phlox well watered throughout the growing season, from the base of the plant, rather than from the top. Avoid getting their leaves wet to decrease the chances that mold and mildew will form on the plants. Use well-rounded plant fertilizer which contains 10 percent nitrogen, 10 percent phosphate and 10 percent potash. Repeat a second application of the fertilizer when the plants are flowering.

 

Planting, Growing, and Caring for Phlox

Easy Vegetable Seed Sowing Guide

Growing your own vegetables is so rewarding. You have total control of the process and can be certain that what you eat is healthy and safe. And it is easy if you know what, when and where to sow!

Most veggies are easy to grow even by beginners. Of course, different vegetables require different conditions. This is why you should plan the sowing and growing carefully. To make things easier for you, we are sharing useful tips on how to sow and grow the most popular vegetables out there.

Usually the sowing of the vegetables starts when the weather gets warmer which is around March, depending on the climate and the year of course. It is probably the best to wait for April especially if you are sowing for the first time. For those who want to sow outside, in the garden choosing the right vegetables is very important. Try carrots, turnips, beetroot, lettuces, rocket, radishes, broccoli, calabrese, cauliflower, kale, brussels sprouts, leeks, leaf beet and spring onions. If you have weeds, than sowing in pots and trays is a smarter choice. March/April is the perfect time to sow brassica crops, lettuces, leeks, beans and peas. If you have a greenhouse consider summer salads, French beans and herbs.

When May comes the weather is already nice and warm and you can sow lots of vegetables. If you have already done the job in March/April your veggies might have already started to grow so prepare for weeding! Besides the crops we have mentioned for the previous two months, for outside sowing you can add herbs, summer salads, fennel and sweetcorn (only if the weather and soil are warm). If you can place your trays and pots somewhere warm you can sow courgettes, squashes, cucumbers and melons this month as well.

June is the last month to sow summer crops. Keep your courgettes, squashes, cucumbers and melons in pots and trays and add some oriental salads (mizuna, mibuna, mustard greens etc) to your garden.

July and August are the months when your vegetables will grow the most. They will need plenty of sunshine. but also enough rain to grow perfectly. This doesn’t mean you should stop sowing! Now is the time to start sowing vegetables for the winter and the beginning of the next year. For outside, sow winter radishes and swedes, oriental greens (mizuna, mibuna, komatsuna, mustard greens etc) and turnip greens, spring cabbage (from late July), bunching and spring onions.

The last sowing can be done in September/October. These includes winter salads and greens in the ground, bunching onions and broad beans and hardy peas. Also it is time to think about protecting your crops over the winter.

The end of the year is for tidying up your garden and getting it ready for the new year. You can still plant garlic outside just make sure you choose the biggest cloves. And don’t forget composting!

Before deciding which vegetables to choose and when to start sowing check out our easy “Sow What?” guide that includes when to start indoors and move outside the most popular plants for sowing in Spring:

Easy Vegetable Seed Sowing Guide